For the first time since 2005, the Douglas County High School football program started its season 2-0, defeating Chapel Hill and South Cobb.

After the Sept. 13 game at Chattahoochee, the Tigers are 2-1 as they suffered a 37-26 loss.

Prior to traveling to Chattahoochee, head coach Jason Respert said his team looked forward to the “big task” they had before them.

“It’s another opportunity, against a good team. We play an extremely competitive schedule. They’re a well-coached team and they’ll be tough to beat. This will allow us to measure our progress and we are looking forward to the challenge,” Respert said.

While the 2-0 start was something to be proud of, Respert said what’s more important is how the team feels.

“Our players, they’re beginning to see success in tangible ways that they can actually measure. They can now see it on film and the scoreboard as well,” said Respert.

Respert also noted that there has been a difference in how the students and staff see the players on a personal level.

“Our students, faculty, staff and administration have seen the inner workings of our program, and seeing how these young men carry themselves is more important than a 2-0 start. The [school] community has had a bad perception of the program and that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

After the first two games, there were several players at the top of the stat sheets. Offensively, Jared Askew led the team in passing by completing 16 of 28 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns. The leading receiver was Justin Bridges with nine receptions for 179 yards and one touchdown, averaging almost 20 yards per catch.

The leading rushers were Juanya Smith and TJ Beaird. Smith had 27 carries for 179 yards and four touchdowns while Beaird had 13 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers had three players leading the team. Shayne Carey had 16 tackles, two and a half sacks and one interception. Israel Strickland had 14 tackles and three and a half sacks and Jeffrey McMichael had 12 tackles and one tackle for a loss.

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